You can find Then I Met You cruelty-free products at Soko Glam.

Then I Met You is Cruelty-Free

Then I Met You has confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf. Their suppliers also do not test on animals, nor do they allow their products to be tested on animals when required by law. And finally, their products are not sold in stores in mainland China or any other country that may require animal testing.

By our standards, we would consider Then I Met You to be Cruelty-Free.

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Then I Met You’s company website:

I also emailed the company to ask for more information about their animal testing policy, below is a snippet of the response I received from Then I Met You,

“Then I Met You does not use any animal testing and is also not sold in countries where animal testing in required. This means that our products are not sold in mainland China. Our products are certified as cruelty-free and we do not allow animal testing of any kind. Our manufacturers thoroughly vet our ingredient suppliers.“

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Then I Met You has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

As of May 1, 2021, some imported ordinary cosmetics can be exempt from animal testing under certain conditions. However, for the most part, animal testing is still legally required for most imported cosmetics in 2022.

Cruelty-Free Policies

Note that there is no legal definition for the label ‘Cruelty-Free.‘ It can mean different things to different people. But Cruelty-Free is generally used to imply no animal testing. More specifically, the ingredients, formulation, or finished product are not tested on animals at any stage of product development.

At ethical elephant, we always assess a company’s cruelty-free policy using our Cruelty-Free Checklist. This ensures no animal testing was performed by the brand itself, its suppliers, and by any third parties.

Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.

Then I Met You is Not 100% Vegan

‘Vegan’ in cosmetics can refer to an entire brand that is 100% Vegan or a specific product is vegan.

In the case of Then I Met You, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.

How to know which of Then I Met You products are vegan?

All of Then I Met You’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. They also claim all of their products are vegan except for the Honey Dew Lip Mask.

When I asked Then I Met You if they had any vegan options, they told me,

“I’m here to answer any questions you may have about the brand. All of our current product line excluding the Honey Dew Lip Mask are vegan. The Honey Dew Lip Mask is not vegan as it includes honey as an ingredient.“

Vegan Policies

Similar to ‘Cruelty-Free,’ there is no standard or legal definition for the label ‘Vegan.’ But it’s usually used in the context to describe something that doesn’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products.

Some common animal products used in cosmetics include carmine, lanolin, snail mucus, beeswax, honey, pearl or silk-derived ingredients, animal-based glycerin, keratin, and squalene.

There are plant-based and synthetic alternatives to animal-derived ingredients. But it’s sometimes difficult to know with certainty whether a product is vegan just by reading the ingredient list.

So it’s best to ask the company and manufacturers to ensure the ingredients they’ve chosen to use were from non-animal sources.